Growth Recovery

How to Fix a Shadowban in 2026

Your hashtags stopped working? engagement dropped 90%? Here is the fix.

Jan 07, 2026 • 5 min read

A "Shadowban" is when Instagram restricts your content visibility without telling you. You post, but only your current followers (and sometimes not even them) can see it. It feels like shouting into the void.

Signs You Are Shadowbanned

Hashtag Fail

Your posts don't appear in the "Recent" tab of hashtags you used.

Reach Drop

Sudden 80-90% drop in non-follower reach.

Search Invisible

Your username doesn't auto-complete in search for non-followers.

The Recovery Plan

If you are shadowbanned, panic won't help. Follow this strict protocol for 7 days.

  1. Stop All Automation
    Immediately revoke access to any third-party "cleaner" or "scheduler" apps. This is the #1 cause.
  2. The 48-Hour Silence
    Do not post, like, or comment for 48 hours. Log out of your account on all devices. Let the "trust score" reset.
  3. Remove Broken Hashtags
    Edit your recent posts to remove banned hashtags (e.g., #beauty, #dm, generic tags often overrun by spam).
  4. Resume Manually
    After the break, post one high-quality image without hashtags. Engage manually with comments.

How UnfollowTool Helps

Using unsafe apps to unfollow people triggers the "bot activity" flag.

UnfollowTool helps you recover by allowing you to identify non-followers offline. You can then go into the official Instagram app and unfollow them manually at a human pace (we recommend max 50 per day).

This "Hybrid Method" (Offline Analysis + Manual Action) is the only way to clean your account without resetting the shadowban timer.

Pro Tip: Never buy followers. Buying followers guarantees a shadowban because Instagram detects the sudden influx of fake accounts.
Back to Tools